Many Internet users make frequent searches for information, such as product reviews, hotels and travel destinations, and the like, as well as for on-line services such as shopping sites. Such Internet users are typically inundated with meaningless results for each on-line search. Search engines have made searching easier, but a user often needs to sort through irrelevant results and irrelevant web pages before finding a desired piece of information or a desired shopping site. Thus, even with all of the access to information that an Internet user has at his/her disposal today, many users elect to asking for advice from a friend or acquaintance before beginning a search. However, an Internet user might not know who to turn to for information about a specific subject.
One way for an Internet user to communicate with others is through a social network. A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, kinship, interests, etc. Social networks are typically built using a priori knowledge of the nodes (such as adding existing friends or known organizations).
Semantic networks are often used as a form of knowledge representation. A semantic network comprises a plurality of concepts interconnected by various relationships. A semantic network may be illustrated as a directed graph consisting of vertices, which represent concepts, and edges, which represent semantic relationships between the concepts. Such networks involve fairly loose semantic associations. As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary semantic network can represent knowledge about trees. The first concept, trees 110 is connected to other concepts that have a semantic relationship to trees. For example, stories and poems about trees 120 are concepts that are related to trees through a semantic relationship of literature 121. Similarly, clear-cutting and diseases 130 are a concept related to trees 110 by the semantic relationship of threats 131. Long term and environmental issues 132 are concepts related to the concept of clear-cutting and disease by the semantic relationship of effects 133. Other concepts 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190 are also related to the concept of trees 110 by various semantic relationships 141, 151, 161, 171, 181, 191.